Newly-created Saudi computer firm Ensyab is gunning for global giants such as HP and Dell in the region’s desktop and notebook markets. The company wants to become the first major Arabic PC brand, one of its senior executives told IT Weekly last week. Sameer Al-Luqmani, general manager of Qeyyam Al-Arab, the Riyadh-based firm behind Ensyab, told IT Weekly that by 2009 the firm wants to be producing 250,000 PCs a year for the region and beyond. Ensyab received permission last month from the authorities in Bahrain to establish a manufacturing operation in the Kingdom. If it can hit its ambitious targets, Ensyab’s production would dwarf the numbers of computers global vendors such as Acer, HP and Fujitsu-Siemens assemble at their plants in the region — these plants have assembly capacities closer to 100,000 units a year. Established PC vendors were sceptical as to whether Ensyab could achieve its target. Gautham Reddy, marketing manager for Acer Middle East, questioned whether a plant that will employ just 260 staff could actually produce that many computers. Reddy estimated Ensyab could only produce around 2,000 laptops a month — 24,000 a year. “We’re not talking big numbers, but it could be a start for some small company,” he commented. Al-Luqmani maintained that the firm would hit its target. “We have a goal and we plan we will reach 250,000 by the end of 2009. Our market will not just be the Middle East, we are planning to reach other places,” he stated. “Our goal is to challenge the likes of Dell, HP and IBM in the region. We know this is difficult, but I think when Dell established itself it was a challenge,” he continued. “We believe we have good people and we can succeed,” he went on to say.